Computers to search for truth in war on fake news

Google has given $50,000 of seed capital each to three British groups looking to design widgets that will find claims in online text and determine whether they are trueGetty Images

It is the 2020 US election, and President Trump is 3am tweeting. “Everyone says I am the best president EVER, but my loser opponents plan to rig the polls! SAD! #KeepAmericaGreat Again.”

On internet browsers parts of the text are highlighted. Readers are referred to his approval ratings, polling numbers and finally to a UN report on the impartiality of the US electoral system. The tweet may be given a low truth rating.

From the claim that the European Union costs Britain £350 million a week to the story about Hillary Clinton running a sex ring in a pizza shop basement, 2016 was the year of post-truth politics; this could be the year that truth fights back — through automated fact-checking.